Schools that handle the homeschooling for you

{This post is one in a series called, “Top 10 Fears”, in which I speak to the most common fears parents express about homeschooling the high school years. To see all of the topics, or start at the beginning, click HERE.}

Top Fear #4

Not having a school to do the schooling for you

So, you want to bring your kids home. But secretly, you’re scared to be person totally in charge of their education.

Will you ruin the kids? Probably not. But, what if you have no idea what you’re doing?

For anyone dreaming of homeschooling, but afraid to be left completely in charge, this is the post for you.

Homeschooling is a little bit different from state to state. But, luckily, there is one thing all states have in common — being able to enroll in a program that does the work for you. Or most of it.

In some states, this service can come from a private school. These are schools specifically designed for this purpose. By enrolling in these schools, families can keep their kids home, but still get oversight and guidance from a school that knows what they’re doing. There are many such schools from coast to coast. Selecting the right one means families can receive exactly the support they need — from guidance to curriculum selection to courses to having books shipped to the home – for an annual fee.

In other states, this might look like hiring a teacher or private tutor. In these cases, children meet with the tutor/teacher and complete the work at home (or somewhere else). Payment varies with the number of classes and services received. This, too, is a way for schooling to be parent-directed, yet almost entirely handled by someone else.

A third way is to select an all-in-one curriculum publisher/product, in which all lessons, tests (assessments), and materials are provided for a fee. These self-study programs are designed for children able to work independently, or with only a small amount of help. In some cases, these products come with automatic grading, too, so even grading papers becomes a completely hands-off process.

Dr. Marie-Claire Moreau is a college professor who traded in her tenure to become a homeschool mom 20+ years ago. The founder of many homeschool groups and organizations, she works to advance home education, and is an outspoken supporter of education reform coast to coast. Her book, Suddenly Homeschooling: A Quick Start Guide to Legally Homeschool in Two Weeks, is industry-acclaimed as it illustrates how homeschooling can rescue children and families from the system, and how anyone can begin homeschooling within a limited time-frame, or with no educational background whatsoever. A liaison for regional school-to-home organizations and a homeschool leader in Florida, Marie-Claire also mentors homeschool families nationwide. A conference speaker, she has appeared at FPEA, H.E.R.I., Home Education Council of America, and many other events. She currently writes for audiences at Quick Start Homeschool, which she founded in 2010, and as a guest writer on other sites as often as she can. Her articles have appeared in CONNECT magazine, on Homefires, atCircle of Moms, and she has contributed to hundreds of other blogs nationwide. Dr. Moreau can be reached at contactmarieclaire@gmail.com.